One month.
Thirty-one days too long, Kirigaya Suguha thought. Solemnly sitting at her brother's - actually, her cousin, as she had recently come to discover after a long discussion with her mother - bedside, Suguha could still remember the fateful day she'd lost her brother to the accursed headgear that even now adorned his comatose head.
She'd just returned home after kendo practice and was helping her mother, Kirigaya Midori, set the table for dinner. It was getting late and Midori had asked her daughter to go wake Kazuto, who had been playing the new VRMMORPG Sword Art Online for several hours now.
"Hey, Kazuto. Get up. It's time for dinner." She reached out and shook his shoulder, hoping that the sensation would translate into something in-game.
There had been no response.
"... Guess I'll have to take that gear off your head myself, huh?"
Just as Suguha was reaching down to take the NerveGear off her brother's head, she heard a very panicked Midori shout from downstairs. "SUGUHA! Don't take that headset off of him!"
"What? Why?" Suguha turned to the doorway and her mood immediately came to match that of her mother, who was standing there with a face that screamed panic and fear. Despite her frantic sprint up the stairs, Midori's face was blanched and her eyes were wide.
"He's trapped! Taking that off his head will kill him!"
Suguha grimaced as tears began to well up in her eyes. That day, her entire world had been flipped upside down. She'd very soon learned that Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of Sword Art Online, had trapped all 10,000 players in his game and rigged every NerveGear headset to fry the brain of any who either died in game or had the headset forcibly removed from the outside.
Fortunately, Kayaba had decided to make a public, albeit recorded, message to announce to the world his elaborate trap. Whether it was to minimize the number of players in his game lost to sheer accident or some way of atonement, his warning (or was it bragging?) had prevented hundreds, if not thousands of needless deaths as the nearly 10,000 players were transported to hospitals and hooked up to life support machines. In Suguha's opinion, the man fancied himself a god, capable of ending or saving lives with a snap of his fingers. Even so, she was happy that her brother had not been one of the unfortunate 2,000 players who'd already died in the infamous Death Game.
If Mom hadn't stopped me when she did, I might have…
That train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening behind her. Suguha quickly wiped away the tears forming before turning her attention away from her comatose brother and to the door, where her mother and a man she didn't immediately recognize were now walking her way.
Midori gave a pained smile, knowing firsthand the sort of anguish her daughter was going through. "Suguha, this is Kikuoka Seijirou. He works with the…" Midori trailed off, having difficulty remembering the full title of the man accompanying her.
"I'm the lead investigator in the Sword Art Online Case Victims Rescue Force. I and my team are doing what we can to look into this mess and hopefully get everyone out alive." Kikuoka elaborated, continuing from where Midori left off. "Rest assured that the Japanese government is doing everything in our power to rescue those still trapped in SAO. We've already made some great progress, but regrettably there's much more to do before we're even close. "We're fortunate enough to be able to keep tabs on the players, even if it is from a distance and at a very limited capacity. Kayaba was very particular in his safeguards from extraction, unfortunately."
Suguha's expression brightened. If they could monitor in-game activities, maybe she could see her brother again. Even if it was from a distance as a spectator, she'd be grateful to just see that he was alright.
"It's specifically for that reason I came to see you and your mother." Kikouka's friendly expression became more serious, but no less amiable.
Why us? Suguha couldn't help but wonder. Kazuto was still here, and still alive, so what could possibly warrant meeting such an esteemed government official like this?
"It's about your brother. We found something."
"A-a bath?"
Asuna couldn't believe her ears. The concept of a fresh bath had been so far removed from her new reality that the possibility of having access to one now was… alien. She almost didn't recognize the word when her new party mentioned it in passing. To think that a bath was possible here, in SAO, was something that in her mind was completely impossible and completely irresistible. After all, her virtual body didn't accumulate oils or dirt like in the real world - a fact that Asuna was happy for, mind you - but the idea of a warm, relaxing bath was just too much to resist.
"Yes, the farmhouse has a bath. If you don't already have a place to stay tonight, you're welcome to join us." Sinon offered, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Looking around, it was obvious that neither Kirito or Leonn was going to make the offer, though that might have just been because they were boys and such an offer might have been deemed inappropriate.
"If nothing else, it'll give us time to go over the guidebook together and figure out party roles." Leonn added, grateful that Sinon had been the one to invite Asuna. Virtual or otherwise, there were some things you just didn't do as a male.
"I… I suppose so. I wouldn't want to impose, though." Asuna sheepishly agreed. She hadn't sorted out where she'd be staying in Tolbana tonight, but something about staying with strangers didn't wholly sit right with her.
"It's no problem. There's enough room for all of us, and don't worry about the boys sneaking any peeks at us." Sinon said as she threw pointed looks at the two males in the party. "You can also use the bathroom to change your clothes in before we turn in for the night."
Kirito quickly looked away, all too aware of the glares he was getting from Sinon and Asuna.
Leonn felt the need to interject. "You two can take the two beds. Kirito and I can take the couch and a lounge chair." He said in an attempt to assuage the fears of his female party members before turning to Kirito. "Dibs on the couch."
"What?! Why do I get the chair?" Kirito exclaimed.
The two boys bickered between themselves during the rest of their walk, which seemed to lighten the mood somewhat. Even Asuna was starting to loosen up a little. These people seemed friendly enough, and the fact that they had rescued her from the dungeon was enough for her to start to trust them. It was a start, at least.
It was evening by the time they reached the farmhouse in question. It was located near the outskirts of town, far enough away to avoid the sound of the market and plaza but close enough to still be considered within the boundaries of the safe zone. It was a fairly modest looking building, any passerby would assume that this building contained nothing noteworthy within, but to the beta testers this particular house was a hidden gem. Given the right conditions, the upper floor of this meager farmhouse could be rented out to a player and their party to rest in.
As Asuna would come to realize, the accommodations were much more impressive than the exterior of the building let on. The inner furnishings were a touch more homey than what she'd experienced from the inns she'd stayed at. There were three rooms, consisting of a common area which was connected to both the bedroom and the much-awaited bathroom. The common room was furnished with a single couch and a number of chairs seated to the side, arranged in such a way where a group could sit and face each other for casual conversation. A large window in the common room let in a fair amount of light, not to mention it gave a beautiful view of Aincrad's sunset. The bedroom had two beds within and was situated directly across the way from the door to the bathroom. The bathroom door itself was closed, so it was impossible to tell what it looked like without going inside.
Almost immediately upon entering, Leonn sat down on the couch with a satisfying *plump*, draping his arms over the back and angling his head back in exhaustion. Kirito walked past him and sat himself down in a chair, looking deep in thought. Asuna took the chair next to Kirito's and with some hesitation, pulled her hood back. As she could feel herself relax a little from the day's activities, she pulled her chestnut hair out from where it had been tucked in her hood. Meanwhile Sinon walked over to the couch and kicked Leonn's foot while glaring at him. Jolted back to reality, he looked up and got the hint, scooching himself from the middle of the couch to the far end, allowing Sinon to take the other end.
Sinon turned to Asuna. "Go ahead and use the bathroom first. I'll make sure these two don't do anything questionable."
Leonn looked insulted, whereas Kirito was flush in the face at the bold accusation. Sinon nodded towards the bathroom, giving Asuna a wave with her hand. Feeling a little better about the whole situation, Asuna entered the bathroom and closed the door.
"Alright, what's with making us out to be perverts, huh?" Leonn practically glared at Sinon. "Not once have we ever tried anything with you, right?"
"I suppose that's true. Still, I could tell she was feeling unsure about sharing a room with two boys. I had to do something." Sinon said, leaning back into the couch and crossing her arms.
There was an uncomfortable silence as the boys grappled with the idea that they could make someone feel uncomfortable, while Sinon had a look of mild guilt on her face for inadvertently calling her friends lechers. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Kirito perked up and looked towards Leonn. "Did you tell anyone else that we were going to be here?"
"No…" Leonn said, trying desperately to figure out who could possibly know they were there. He got up and walked over to the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Leo-bou. You gonna let me in or what?"
Leonn opened the door to find Argo looking up at him with that signature grin of hers. "Oh god, what happened?"
Argo feigned an expression as if she'd been insulted. "You wound, me Leo-bou. Can't I just drop in for a casual visit with my favorite hammer-head?"
"Sorry." Leonn said with just a little shame in his voice.
"Psh, ya big softy." Argo gave Leonn's chest a half-hearted smack with the back of her hand before pushing her way past. "You're right, though. I'm here on business. Kii-bou, he's upped his offer. He's willing to shell out 39,800 Cor now."
Leonn shut the door while giving a whistle at the amount of money being offered. Kirito looked shocked for a moment before composing himself and leaning forward in his chair to address Argo. "Ok, who is this guy and why does he want my sword so badly?"
Argo plopped herself down on the couch. "500 Cor."
Kirito leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "400."
Argo smiled. "Deal. It's Kibaou, and I don't know why he wants it so badly."
"Kibaou?!" Everyone but Argo exclaimed, almost in unison.
Kirito was the first to break the stunned silence that followed. "I wonder if he knows I was a beta tester." He looked down at the table in front, contemplating on what the implications might be if that information were to get out.
Argo got up from the couch. "He might, but I haven't told anyone about you being an ex-beta." She walked over towards the bathroom door. "Mind if I change?"
Kirito, only half-paying attention at this point, simply waved at Argo as if to say OK without looking up from the table. A split-second later, he realized what he'd just done and his eyes widened.
"Wait, Argo!" Sinon shouted.
"Crap!" Leonn rushed over towards Kirito.
Too late.
"AAH!"
It was perhaps the longest half-second of their lives.
With the door wide open, nearly everyone who could see into the bathroom saw a very flushed, very embarrassed Asuna, who had managed to cover herself up with a nearby towel. Argo, hand still clutching the doorknob, was shifting her weight backwards so that she could slam the door shut. Sinon had averted her gaze to the side, trying to afford their newest party member some semblance of privacy. Kirito just stood there, wide-eyed as his and Asuna's eyes remained locked in what was undoubtedly the longest moment of their lives.
That moment was suddenly interrupted by Leonn, who had decided to tackle Kirito, thrusting both boys to the floor with a loud crash, which was mirrored by the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut.
"Sorry, Aa-chan! Didn't know you were in there!" Argo shouted, looking downward in equal parts shame and embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Kirito was trying his hardest to push Leonn off of him. "What was that for?!"
Leonn shifted his weight to the side, letting Kirito free. "I was trying to save your hide, dude! I've seen enough anime to know what happens when you accidentally catch a glimpse of that-which-must-never-be-seen."
Kirito stood up and brushed himself off before making his way back to his chair.
"... You're welcome, by the way." Leonn said as he also stood up and wandered back over to the couch.
"So anyway!" Argo practically shouted. "Now that my business is done here, I think I'll head out. I assume you're still refusing to sell the sword, Kii-bou?"
"Yup." Kirito curtly said.
"Ok then. I'll let him know." Argo slowly scanned over the three players now sitting awkwardly in front of her. "I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. Let Aa-chan know I'm sorry and that I'll make it up to her sometime."
As Argo walked out the door, Leonn shifted forward, resting his head in his hands.
"Well, this is going to be a fun conversation."
The four companions sat together in silence.
"So it was an accident?" Asuna looked at her party members, who were all visibly uncomfortable with what had just transpired a short time ago.
"Yes. Despite what I may have hinted at before, these two aren't perverts. I've fought beside them both for the past month and I can tell you they're good guys." Sinon said. "You can trust them. I trust them with my life."
The tension in the air practically dissolved with that admission. Now that the misunderstanding was out of the way, they could get down to business.
Kirito looked over his party. "If it's ok with everyone, tomorrow morning I want us to go kill some mobs for practice. We need to make sure we work together as a team before tomorrow afternoon's boss fight. We're probably going to be assigned to the rear guard since we're only a party of four instead of six. We'll be taking on the adds." Kirito paused as he looked at Asuna. "Adds are the extra monsters that will be fighting with the boss. We need to make sure those are taken care of so that the main group can focus on killing the boss."
"Makes sense." Asuna said with a nod.
"I'm thinking you and I will be the main DPS. That is to say, damage dealers." Kirito began to explain. "Our job will be to deal as much damage as we can when the opportunity presents itself. Sinon will also be a damage dealer, but she attacks at range so she'll be in a better position to call out attack patterns and warn of us any changes. Leonn is the closest thing we have to a tank since he has a lot of health and hits slow."
"Hey now." Leonn interjected before Kirito held up a hand.
"That said, he's very good at giving us openings to attack. When that happens, he'll call for a Switch, and that's when we rush into the opening to deal as much damage as we can." Kirito said. "You'll see what I mean during practice tomorrow."
Asuna gave a determined nod. The rest of the evening was spent going over the information found in Argo's guidebook, as well as introducing Asuna (and to a lesser extent Sinon) some of the MMO terminology that might be used during the boss fight.
Almost an hour later, the day's events were starting to catch up to them and they collectively decided to get some rest. Leonn took the couch, leaving Kirito to claim the comfiest chair he could find. Asuna and Sinon both went into the next room and each claimed a bed.
Kirito was the last to fall asleep. He knew that tomorrow, everything would change.
"Asuna, switch!"
Having successfully parried a swing from a ((Ruin Kobold Trooper)), Kirito leapt backward just as Asuna launched forward with a ((Linear)), catching the kobold square in the chest. The trooper didn't even have a second to react to the sudden change in targets as it was impaled by Asuna's rapier, causing its body to glow and eventually shatter into a cloud of polygons.
"There's another one!" Kirito shouted, turning to the side to see another kobold rearing back with its mace.
"Right!" Asuna was already on it, launching off of a nearby pillar and slamming into the next kobold with another ((Linear)). Kirito took advantage of the opening she created and unleashed his own ((Vertical)) on the unsuspecting kobold.
Leonn and Sinon stood off to the side, the former of the two leaning on his maul as he watched his two party members absolutely destroy the kobold patrol that had just spawned.
The quartet had spent that morning getting their gear repaired and buying a decent quantity of healing potions. No expense was spared to ensure that everyone was in tip-top shape. They'd even purchased cheap back-up weapons in case their primary weapons had succumbed to damage mid-fight. The raid group was scheduled to make its way to the dungeon labyrinth this afternoon at approximately 2:00 PM, but Kirito and his group decided to head there early to assess their teamwork and practice switches. Kirito made sure to have Argo inform Diavel that his group would be meeting the raid group in the labyrinth instead of at its entrance.
"I… wow." Leonn said, stumbling over his words. "Are we sure they just met yesterday? They're flawless. They're practically fighting as one."
Sinon smirked. "Even you and I don't fight like that, and we've known each other for almost a year." She nudged him with her elbow. "Then again, they're both agile and use a sword or rapier. They've got a lot in common."
Leonn could see where she was going with this. "Meanwhile, your style and mine couldn't be more different. I'm slow and methodical. You're fast and relentless." He chuckled.
"Just wait until I get my hands on a bow. That may change. I think I'll like how precise a bow is." Sinon quipped. "These throwing picks are ok, but they don't do very much damage."
Leonn turned his attention towards the dynamic duo that was Kirito and Asuna as they tackled yet another kobold.
This party of ours is really shaping up to be something else.
"On our right." Sinon said, motioning with a throwing pick to a ((Ruin Kobold Trooper)) that had just spawned next to them.
"About time! We can't go falling behind them." Leonn brandished his maul and swung with an ((Jawbreaker)), the skill he'd used so many times that would send enemies flying backward with a heavy uppercut. Even with its armor on, the kobold still staggered back and landed on its back, having taken such a monstrous attack head-on. Three throwing picks kept the kobold down every time it tried to get up. On the fourth try, the kobold was able to get halfway up before it was crushed with an ((Vertical Slam)), shattering it almost immediately.
The party kept grinding like this for another hour before deciding to take a break for lunch. With some careful navigation and a tip they'd gotten from Argo, they were able to find a place that was safe from the kobold patrols and respawns. The four sat down and pulled out bread loafs. None of them had the cooking skill, so this was the best they could do right now.
Asuna pulled out of bread loaf and was about to take a bite when she stopped. She looked over to Kirito. "Do… do you have any more of that cream?"
Kirito smiled as he fished out a jar of cream. This one was slightly larger than the one he'd shown Asuna the other night and it was probably meant for a group of people instead of one, so he opened up the bottle and placed it in the center of their oddly-shaped quadrilateral of players. Each person tapped on the top of the jar and applied the cream to their rolls.
"Just think." Leonn said after taking a hearty bite out of his loaf. "If one of us takes up ((Cooking)), we could eat like this every day!"
"I wonder what kind of food recipes exist in this game." Sinon mused before taking another bite from hers.
"Plenty of 'em. Rumor during the beta was that the cooking system was so extensive that you could replicate flavors only found in real life." Kirito thought out loud.
Maybe I'll learn to cook here. Asuna's lips formed a smile as she finished her roll, which did not go unnoticed. Rather than draw attention to it, however, the others decided to let it be.
Kirito glanced up at his HUD as a new message came in. "The raid group should be arriving shortly, according to Argo. Everybody ready?"
"Yup!"
"Good to go."
"Yes."
Without another word, the four stood up and started heading to the entrance to meet up with the rest of the raid. It didn't take them long before they saw Diavel leading the raid, 40 players strong, through the halls. Kirito gave a wave as his group approached and fell in line.
Ten minutes into their trek through the labyrinth halls, Kirito spotted the large man he remembered from the meeting, Agil. Picking up his pace briefly, Kirito caught up.
"Hey. Agil, right? I wanted to thank you for what you did back at the meeting. The last thing we need is to make enemies of the beta testers when their knowledge may be what helps us survive." Kirito glanced up at the axe wielder.
Agil looked down at Kirito. "Yeah, no problem. We gotta stick together if we're gonna beat this thing, right?"
"Right." Kirito agreed, trying his best not to let on that he was one of the beta testers in question here.
"Heard you and your party came down here early to warm up." Agil said. "Quite the motley crew you've got goin' there. Sword, rapier, maul, and throwing picks, by the looks of it."
Kirito gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, we're a little unorthodox, you could say."
Agil gave a wide grin. "Yeah, I'll say. Most of these other groups look all the same. All swords, spears, and shields. There's no variety here, but I ain't one to judge." He paused for a moment. "Didn't catch your name."
"Oh, right. Kirito."
Agil held out his hand in an American-style greeting. "Agil. But you knew that."
Kirito returned the handshake. "Good to meet you."
"Hey, listen. Once we start making our way to the floors above us, I'm thinking of opening up a shop. You and your friends feel free to stop by." Agil opened his menu and sent Kirito a friend request.
"Sounds good. Thanks, Agil."
Kirito accepted the request before slowing his pace to fall back with his party.
"What was that about?" Sinon asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just made a friend." Kirito said nonchalantly.
An hour of walking later, the raid group came to a set of large doors. A pair of torch sconces flanked the imposing iron doors, casting a grim shadow on anything nearby. To call the lighting and atmosphere grim or haunting would be an understatement. The air itself was silent, save for the sounds of menus opening and closing as every member of the raid checked their inventories, equipment, and stats to make sure everything was in place. When the sounds of menus came to an eventual stop, the sound of metal striking stone echoed through the room, catching everyone's attention. Diavel stood in front of the doors and faced the crowd, sword planted in the ground.
"Listen up, everyone."
All eyes and ears were on the blue-clad leader.
"I have only one thing to say."
Diavel raised a fist as he scanned over the raid party.
"Let's win!"
There was no rousing speech. No raucous cheer. No war cries. Just sheer determination painted on the faces of every raider present. Kirito glanced at his party members, whose faces also remained determined and met his gaze with a stoic nod. Finally, the ornate, iron-wrought doors creaked open slowly as Diavel carefully pushed forward.
Here we go.